A/N: I wanted to release this earlier but one of my pre-readers had yet to get back to me. After two weeks of waiting I decided to go ahead and post this anyways. Once again, I'm still looking for pre-readers. PM if you're interested.
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Even though he had been there a mere two hours before, the dining hall looked completely different. Instead of the long tables that had been set up during lunch, there were now several smaller round tables spread out in front of a stage and the lights were dimmer, giving the place a restaurant type feel. There was a quiet lull of conversation at each table but as soon as the doors opened the talking feel silent as everyone turned to look at the new arrivals.
Ranma felt a little awkward. Bowser had gone off to sit with Peach and Mario leaving him standing in front of the doors wondering where to sit. He wasn't exactly shy, but he barely knew any of these people…it didn't help that everyone was still staring at him.
The doors opened again and Ranma felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning around he came face to face with the visor of Samus. Pushing gently, the ranged fighter steered Ranma over to a table where Link and some girl he had never seen before were sitting. Nodding his thanks Ranma sat down between Link and Samus and flipped through the menu that was in front of him.
"Well, how was your tour?" asked Link
Ranma shrugged, "Pretty good actually. I tried out the holographic room and almost destroyed the item factory with a turtle shell."
The girl next to Link chucked softly, "So it's happened to you too huh? I don't think there's a single person here who hasn't destroyed it. My name is Zelda by the way."
"Ranma Saotome," said the martial artist glancing over the menu. Most of the things on it were Japanese but there were some western style foods as well.
Silence dominated the table. Another Koopa came to take their orders and left. Samus merely gave the turtle a nod without saying anything.
"You know, not that I'm complaining or anything," said Ranma attempting to break the silence, "but how exactly does Master Hand pay for this kind of stuff?"
"Sponsors," provided Link, "The fights that take place here are aired on national television. Seeing as how the show stays in the top ten networks year-round Master Hand can charge a small fortune for a 30-second advertisement slot."
"So what did you think of Master Hand?" asked Zelda before the silence could overtake the table again.
"He's…" Ranma paused. What did he think of Master Hand? The guy seemed nice enough but he had no ki signature or anything that could mark him as human. Not to mention he knew things about his life that he didn't even know, "…a little weird." He finished lamely.
Zelda smirked knowingly, "Everyone gets that impression at first but he has his head in the right place…unlike some other all-powerful beings."
The slight frown on Link's face didn't go un-noticed.
"So which god did you piss off?" asked Ranma throwing tact out the window.
Link and Zelda both winced. Ranma felt a hand on his arm. Turning he saw Samus giving him a small shake of the head, telling him without words to drop the subject.
"Sorry," said Ranma quickly. Desperately he reached for another topic of conversation before the un-comfortable silence could fall on the table again, "I've angered my fair share of people too. This one guy, he's still after my hide all because I stole some bread from him in Middle School…"
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"Wait," said Link trying to get his laughter under control, "so you're telling me that you just jumped over his head and he ran straight through the school trying to find you?"
"Yeah and I didn't see him for three days after that either."
Zelda chuckled quietly while Link laughed out loud. Next to him Samus' suit was also trembling although no noise came out. During their talk the koopa cooks had taken their orders and left. Now they were returning with the plates. Having eaten a mere two hours ago, Ranma had ordered a fairly normal sized meal instead of his usual feast.
While they were eating, Ranma at a semi-normal pace for once, the newly initiated Smash Fighter kept them entertained with stories of his homeworld. He had just gotten to the story of Happosai's awakening when the lights suddenly dimmed and a bright spotlight lit the stage.
"What's going on?"
"Master Hand's making a speech," provided Link, "He does it every night when something big is about to happen."
Without further flair or formality, Master Hand casually walked out from behind the curtain, onto the stage and began speaking into the mike.
"As many of you have suspected, this day marks the fifth anniversary of the creation of the Super Smash Bros world." The statement was met with some casual applause, "On a more interesting level though, this day will mark the official start of a brand new member joining us. Please give a hand for Ranma Saotome from Nerima!"
The last word was practically shouted into the Mike. The spotlight moved over to where Ranma was sitting and Samus pushed him to his feet. Ranma just stood there awkwardly with his hand behind his head not sure what to say.
"Furthermore, our guest has served one other very important purpose, because we now have an even number of competitors once again. Therefore, I am re-opening the double-battles tournament!"
This was met with applause and a few whistles.
"Once again, pairings will be completely random, the listings are set to go up one month from now, so until then, enjoy the remainder of the league season."
Ranma clapped along with everyone else. Master Hand held up his hand for silence, getting it instantly.
"Finally, I have wonderful news for all of you. In two years time we will be holding the ultimate tournament, the ultimate test of strength, skill, and endurance. Things are about to start picking up around here again. New challengers will be coming out of the woodwork, new items are being developed in our factories as we speak, Smash HQ will never be the same again. This is a high stakes fight, in which the winner will receive one single unfiltered, no strings attached wish from the gods themselves!"
Dead silence met his statement. He didn't seem to be expecting a response though and left through the curtain. The silence lasted for another second before excited whispers and talk began circulating the room.
I can't believe it, thought Ranma, I could actually get a cure! A real honest to goodness cure from the gods themselves!
So wrapped up in thought, he almost missed the sudden exchange between Zelda and Link.
"You know what this means right Link?"
"Yeah. This is what we've been waiting for."
"Huh?" said Ranma clueless.
Link sighed, "When Master Hand drew up our contracts, he promised us that an opportunity to restore our land to its former glory would come along. I think this is it."
Recalling his conversation with Link earlier that day, Ranma nodded, strangely serious for once, "Man, it makes my problems seem pretty small in comparison."
"Really?" asked Zelda curiously, "What would you wish for then?"
"Well, I've had this particular curse hounding me for a while now," he admitted picking up a glass of water.
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"Thankfully it's not as bad as some of the curses my rivals got," finished female Ranma as he poured the hot water on himself, "Hell, I'll take turning into a girl over turning into a duck any day."
Zelda smiled, "Ranma I don't think your problems are insignificant."
"Huh? But I…"
"Your problem is merely different from ours, not any less important."
Ranma really didn't know what to say, it was the first time he could remember actually getting sympathy for the curse instead of just a casual "whatever" or a table to the head.
Zelda's smile turned mischievous, "Of course, that doesn't mean that we're going to go any easier on you."
The martial artist countered with a smile of his own, "I wouldn't have it any other way."
"What would you wish for?" asked Ranma suddenly turning towards Samus. Her only response was a shrug of her mechanical shoulders.
The four of them finished their meal in comfortable silence; even Samus who had somehow eaten all of her food and had placed her helmet back on before Ranma had even finished drinking his water.
Half an hour later, Ranma and Link were slowly walking back to their dorm in silence, the meal making them somewhat drowsy. They were standing in front of the dorm room when Link paused in mid-motion, about to swipe his card.
"Hey…Ranma…can I talk to you for a bit?"
His drowsiness faded. Something told him that this conversation would be significantly more serious than their dinner conversation, "Sure…what is it?"
"Not here," he said shaking his head, "Come on…follow me."
Curious, Ranma followed as Link led him back to the transport room where he had first fallen out into the locker room.
"Computer," said Link suddenly, "load the level Hyrule Temple, stock match one no time limit, two fighters."
Two of the four metal cylinders opened up, Link stepped in one, "Well come on."
Ranma cautiously got into the other one.
TRANSFER LINK. TRANSFER RANMA.
The martial artist looked around wondering where female voice had come from but didn't see any speakers around. With a snap, the metal door closed in front of him leaving him in darkness for a second.
SCANNER LINK. SCANNER RANMA.
A bright light came on inside the scanner while smaller light displays raced across the wall of the tube.
VIRTUALIZATION.
Ranma closed his eyes as the light around him became blinding. He heard the sound of wind and felt his hair rise.
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READY!
The martial artist opened his eyes as the angel platform disappeared out from under him, dropping him softly onto the stone ground.
FIGHT!
Ranma looked at Link walking towards him, his sword still in its sheath, "Are we fighting?" he asked curiously.
"Meh, if you want to. I just thought this would be a good place to talk that all," Link walked over to the edge of the level and sat down, "So what do you think of it?" He asked, waving a hand behind himself to indicate the level.
Bewildered Ranma turned away from Link to take in the surroundings. The arena was incredibly big compared to the stage he had fought Samus on and had a lot more detail as well. It appeared that he was in a sort of ruins with debris scattered haphazardly around. On the surface it didn't look like much but he could distinctly feel a mystic quality in the air.
"Bit of a fixer upper," said Ranma trying to sound casual. The lame joke died in the wind, "I can feel a…presence here," said Ranma a bit more seriously, "Like some sort of… timeless energy. It doesn't feel like ki but it…ah I dunno."
Link nodded sagely, "This is last piece that remains of my homeland under the waves."
Ranma didn't say anything but it didn't seem like Link was expecting him to, "When I got back to the land of Hyrule after helping the oracles of season and time, it was raining. Not just a small drizzle, but sheets of freezing cold rain. Water was already starting to gather in pools on the fields around the castle."
The martial artist sighed and sat down beside Link, "So what did you do?"
"I raced my horse, Epona, back to the castle as fast as I could. Along the way I passed many people fleeing the towns and castle. Everyone looked at me as though I were crazy for wanting to go back. When I got there, it was worse that I feared."
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"Take only what you can carry and no more! Leave behind your valuables and possessions. Only bring what you need to survive!"
Link paused momentarily to take in the scene. Standing in the market square was Zelda along with several guards rushing people out of the city. Water was already starting to overflow from the sewer systems under the castle-town.
Frantic, the Hero of Time dismounted his horse and ran towards Zelda. A couple of guards tried to get in his way but he merely pushed them aside, "Zelda!" he practically shouted, "What's going on?"
Zelda turned around, shocked at the sound of the voice; after all, Link had been gone for nearly a year on his never ending hero's quest, "Ganon's escaped," she said after a moment's hesitation, "He's launching an attack from the divine realms using all the power he saved up during his imprisonment. He's flooding the land." Despite the seriousness of the situation, she was calm, cool, and collected as someone of her stature required.
"How is this possible?" asked Link practically shouting, "The gods themselves imprisoned Ganon in the divine realm why can't they do anything about it?"
"I've tried Link," she admitted miserably, "They're not responding. I can't even reach the great sages."
"What are we going to do then?"
"I've done everything I could. I'm sending the people of Hyrule to Death Mountain. Hopefully the waters won't reach there."
Link wanted to do something. Anything. If there was one thing he hated it was being powerless.
"The deku sprout," he said suddenly.
"What?"
"The deku sprout. He's connected to the gods. Maybe he can tell us what we can do to stop this."
"Link, that tree is only a child not even a century old. What could he-"
"Would you rather sit around and do nothing?" Link shouted, "That tree is the only connection we have left to the divine realm! At the very least he can tell us why they weren't able to keep him captive!"
Zelda turned away, "Do what you must Link but I have to get these people to safety. I cannot afford to place my hopes in some obscure chance."
The Hero of Time didn't say anything. Angrily he walked over to Epona and mounted her, "Then let us hope princess," he said icily, "that you never have to place your hopes in me again."
It occurred to him as he was riding away from the palace that things were never going to be the same between them again.
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The deku's grove was surprisingly dry compared to everything else. Dark storm clouds had blotted out the sun but the small enclosed forest sill gave off a feeling of peace even while the land was being submerged around them.
"I've been waiting for you Link." Said the sprout as the Hero of Time jumped off his horse. The deku sprout had grown during Link's adventures and was now taller than him.
Mentally Link celebrated, his gambit had paid off. It was a good thing too as the fields were pretty much impossible to ride on now. Hyrule field was more like Hyrule swamp.
"Please tell me you can do something about this." Link said straining to keep his voice calm.
"I am sorry Link, but there is nothing I can do. There is, however, something you can do."
"What is it? Tell me!"
"You need to escape Link."
Link couldn't hold it anymore, "Do you mean to tell me that after all this shit we went through to imprison him the only thing I can do now is run away?! Where in the hell are our gods in charge of the divine realm? What happened to our so called "Great Sages" who were supposed to stop this from happening in the first place?"
"Link," said the deku sprout softly after Link had finished, "the great sages are dead. Ganon cast them out and took control of the divine realm."
The small tree continued seemingly oblivious to Link's shocked look, "Even in the divine realm, it was impossible to separate Ganon from the Triforce of Power. Over time he gathered enough stored power to fight against his imprisonment. It is impossible for people to actually die in the divine realm but the sage's spirits have been cast far enough to the edge of the universe to be considered dead to us."
"There is nothing left for you to do here Link, but if you escape you can come back and fight again. Use your Ocarina to warp to the temple of time and pick up Zelda, then warp to the forest temple. I will use the last of my power to open up a portal to a place where you can train and grow stronger. Then you can come back and defeat him."
Numbly, Link took out the Ocarina of Time, "What about everyone else?"
"Zelda had the right idea. This flood will not reach to the mountain peaks. Most of the humans have already escaped and I don't think the Zora's will mind the change that much."
"What about the Kokiri, the people staying here?"
"I have already sent them to Death Mountain. They will have to learn to live with growing old and eventually dying, just like everyone else."
Link tried but he couldn't stop a few tears from coming to his eyes, "It's so unfair, after all we've been through our victory is destroyed again."
"No one likes feeling useless," counseled the tree, an invisible wind ruffling its leaves in imitation of a sigh, "but if you remain there will be no hope for Hyrule. At least this way we have a chance."
"What about Epona?"
"I will put her in a suspended sleep. She will neither age nor drown. The magic will last for three years. Hopefully that will give you enough time."
Link couldn't think of anything else to say. With a final pat of his horse, Link took out the familiar blue Ocarina and played the song of time.
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"When we went through the portal, we ended up in the smash arena. I lost spectacularly to Marth and Zelda lost narrowly to Samus. Master Hand met up with us and promised us that in two years time, he'll give us a chance at resurrecting our home-world if we stayed and fought at the arena. With tonight's announcement, I'm sure this is the opportunity we've been waiting for."
Ranma had been silent during Link's story. His life had been pretty bad but to have your home-world essentially destroyed just when you thought you had saved it? That was downright cruel.
"That's…uh…pretty intense," he said awkwardly.
"I've only known you for an incredibly short time," began Link again after a moment of silence, "but I feel a sort of…kinship with you."
"Well…thanks. I think you're a pretty cool guy too, but why did you bring me here?"
Silence hung in the air for a while, Link looked as if he was trying to gather the courage to speak.
"I want to ask something of you," he admitted finally, "as one friend to another."
"What is it Link?"
"I know that this is going to sound complete self-centered and selfish but I'm desperate. I don't want it to seem like I'm using you but…"
"Link, spit it out already. What did you want to ask me?"
The Hero of Time took a breath, "Alright, I want your help. I want your help restoring my homeland. Zelda may be above begging other people for help but I'm not. Please Ranma, Zelda and I can't do this by ourselves, not against so many others."
A few hundred thoughts flashed through Ranma's head at that instant. If he was getting what Link was saying, he wanted him to use his wish, provided that he won the tournament, to help restore his land of Hyrule instead of curing his curse.
Logically, it was a bit selfish. He wanted Ranma to use a once in a lifetime opportunity to save a bunch of people and a land he didn't even know about.
But that doesn't make them any less important. Said his conscience.
"I don't want to feel like I'm pressuring you into this. If you don't want to help me we can still be friends. I won't hold it against you."
If Link had used any other argument, had attempted any other form of persuasion, the martial artist probably would have refused, but Link had mistakenly done what no one in Nerima had ever thought to do. He gave him a choice.
"You must marry Akane Tendo, the schools must be joined!"
"Shampoo is already your bride. You don't have any choice in this matter."
"Oh he wants Akane, definitely."
"Ranma is my fiancé you jackass, his father stole my dowry!"
"So will you be paying your debt or are we going to have some camera time?"
"Pigtailed girl I love you!"
"OHOHOHOHO! Ranma is mine you hussy!"
The list went on and on and on.
"Ranma?"
The martial artist shook himself out of his private flashbacks, "Sorry," he said silently getting up, "Link, I've decided. I'm going to help you."
Link smiled and stood up next to him. Extending his hand Link said, "The people on your homeworld must have been very lucky to have you around, well, except maybe that Ryoga fellow."
Ranma smirked and shook his hand, "Lucky? Heh, they wouldn't have been able to survive without me."
"So, I heard you beat the record for fifty man melee in the holo room today."
"Heh, those guys were nothing. It was like fighting several different versions of my tomboy fiancé. By the way, how are we supposed to get out of here anyways?"
"Well this is technically only a stock one match so if one of us dies then we'll be able to get out."
Link's smirk said everything. Both fighters looked at each other for a couple seconds before jumping away. With a ring, Link's sword was in his left hand, his shield in his right. Ranma was standing on top of one of the smaller pillars, ready to spring at a moments notice.
"Swords work a little differently in this arena than in the real world," explained Link eyeing Ranma carefully, "Instead of a cut, you'll feel a blunt impact but depending on where I hit you'll take damage accordingly."
"Thanks for the info but I probably won't be feeling anything," said Ranma cockily.
Link only smirked, "I haven't been fighting at this arena two years for nothing you know." And with that Link threw his sword into the air.
Slightly shocked, Ranma automatically looked towards the sword and almost missed the small expenditure of ki sign of something being pulled out of stuff space. Jumping off the pillar, Ranma dodged the boomerang coming towards him, only to have to duck suddenly as an arrow whizzed over his shoulder.
Before he could reorient himself Link had jumped into the air, caught his sword and was performing a down-slash on him. Unfortunately he didn't have enough time to roll out of the way and took a partial blow to the shoulder.
Like Link had said, the sword hit with a blunt impact that staggered him a bit but didn't actually cause a cut. Realistically, he could have reinforced the limb with his ki to prevent the damage but had he not known that trick the blow probably would have taken his arm in the real world.
Ranma used the momentary recovery period of Link's down-slash to launch his own counterattack. He was able to score a couple hits before Link shifted his sword to a one hand grip and brought out his shield and began deflecting the attacks.
The two traded blows for a few seconds, neither of them gaining a clear advantage over the other. A few seconds later and they jumped away from each other, Ranma standing on top of one pillar and the Hero of Time on another. However, the martial artist barely had any time to recover before Link had pulled something round and black from his stuff space and threw it at his pillar.
Having fought Mousse on several different occasions, Ranma could tell with reasonable certainty that black round things tended to explode when thrown so he leapt off his pillar to the ground, only to have to dodge another arrow which had been released as soon as the bomb had been thrown. He dodged that just in time for the boomerang to hit him in the face, sending him staggering back.
This guys timing is incredible! Thought Ranma as he started zigzagging towards Link's pillar, mindful of any other projectiles he tossed out, but he seems to only use four different weapons.
With a graceful double jump, Ranma kicked Link off the pillar. He had deflected it with his shield but the force behind the blow was enough to knock him off anyways. Touching off the pillar, Ranma shot towards Link in midair, drawing on the Saotome Mid-Air Combat techniques to hit Link three times before kicking him to the ground.
Utilizing his double jump again, Ranma soared backwards, firing off a ki blast where Link had fallen. It didn't connect however. With one hand, Link pushed off the ground into the air, drawing his bow in mid motion. Arrows came flying out of the dust cloud generated by the ki blast, one catching him in the shoulder. Quickly he retreated behind the pillar.
Taking a quick glance at his bracer, the martial artist gaped in surprise. They were both at exactly 44 damage. Link had traded him blow for blow in the space of twenty five seconds.
Time to pour on the speed then, said Ranma mentally as he prepared to dash out into the confrontation. However, the decision was made pre-maturely as another bomb began rolling towards him. Smoothly, Ranma back flipped onto the pillar and launched himself back first at the Hero of Time.
Predicting his moves correctly, Ranma turned in midair just right to dodge the projectiles coming at him. Now facing him, the martial artist saw that he had already drawn his shield and sword, preparing for the inevitable melee that was about to happen. He was coming at him too fast for him to throw any more projectiles now.
Link wasn't very fast; he'd be the first to admit it. When fighting he tended to rely on his tools and timing to make up for it. However, when it came down to a close combat fight the sword at his side wasn't there for decoration.
Ranma on the other hand was incredibly fast, to the point of getting a speeding ticket every time he ran to school (if they could ever catch him that is). He didn't carry weapons because they would only slow him down.
The two forces met with a bang. Expecting a shield block against his initial attack, Ranma instead kicked off the air right before he would have impacted and jumped to Link's back instead.
Counting on a quick retaliation; as soon as he hit the ground Ranma dropped into the splits and felt the air pass over his head from the counterattack. With quick efficiency Ranma karate chopped Link in the leg, staggering him. Pushing off the ground with both hands Ranma proceeded to unleash a double foot kick into his face.
The attack didn't stagger Link as much as he would have hoped. Reaching behind his back, Link withdrew a tool he hadn't seen yet. It was colored blue with a small wicked looking claw at the end of it.
With a small pop the claw rapidly extended towards him like one of Mousse's chains. Unfortunately he wasn't in a very good position to dodge it and the claw caught on the material of his shirt. Before Ranma could even react, the chain attached began to retract, pulling him towards Link.
He wasn't caught long though. As soon as he was in range, Link kicked him off the chain into a wall. Moving quickly, Link was able to score another hit with his bow before Ranma peeled himself off the wall. He had just notched a second arrow when Ranma seemingly disappeared, moving at a speed that belied his previous pace.
Slightly panicked, Link released the arrow where he thought Ranma was going to be but before it had even left the string Ranma was there, pushing his bow slightly to make the arrow fly a mere inch past his face. Before he could even draw his shield Ranma had sent him flying towards the edge.
Flipping over in midair, Link used his second jump to keep moving backwards while still firing arrows at Ranma's rapidly approaching blur. Three arrows later and he had landed on the largest pillar in the arena, located right near the edge of death.
Hyrule Temple was a rather big place. The distance Ranma had to cover was great enough for Link to land on the pillar before the martial artist could get there. Instead of jumping up to meet him though, the new Smash Brother rammed his shoulder into the pillar, shattering it.
Momentarily surprised, Link reacted quickly enough to jump off the pillar right next to the edge, drawing his boomerang and sword simultaneously. He predicted that he would only be able to get one throw off before having to engage in melee again.
Words could not describe how shocked he was when instead of rushing him like he expected, Ranma grabbed the falling pillar and, turning in a circle to gain momentum, flung the entire pillar at him. His boomerang was uselessly batted aside and his sword flew from his hand, making him temporarily incapable of performing his triple jump.
It doesn't really matter though, thought Link as he saw the death zone on the side of the level fast approaching.
"GAME!"
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"That…was intense," said Link as he tumbled out of the transporter.
Ranma nodded. He wouldn't admit it to anyone but Link had coxed some serious speed out of him while only moving at about half the speed he was. If Link had been up to his level in speed then it probably would have been very different fight.
Wiping the sweat away from his brow, Ranma caught his breath, "Why are these matches so tiring?"
"The way this fighting system works automatically brings you to full power for the duration of the match and now your body is feeling the after effects. Unless you get to 100 damage in the course of a match you won't feel much fatigue. It's the best way for two fighters to push each other to their limits."
Ranma mulled that over in his head. Basically what Link was saying was that the fighting program coerced his body into fighting at full power no matter how tired he really was. Honestly, he wasn't quite sure what to think of that.
"Isn't that a little…dangerous?"
"It can be," Link admitted, "Casual matches are usually stock one. In the official league matches the standard is stock two. In tournament level matches, however, the stock rises to three. Any more than that is pretty much guaranteed to put you out for the day. The most anyone was able to go for was seven and he had to have a day and a half bed rest afterwards."
"Who managed that?"
Link smirked, "Mewtwo, the guy you're fighting tomorrow."
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"So is it real?" asked Ranma as he was walking back to their room.
"Huh?"
"Is the fighting…real? I mean, it felt real but we're only fighting in a virtual world aren't we?"
Link thought for a minute, "Take a look at your arm Ranma."
Ranma pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to see a small bruise forming where Link had connected with his sword.
"It's not so much a virtual world than a different world. Everything you do in there you'll feel out here and vice versa. The only reason why it's called a virtual world in the first place is because it was programmed outside of the divine realms."
"Um…so that means its real then?" asked Ranma slightly confused.
Link chuckled realizing that his explanation was a bit more than Ranma was looking for, "Yeah, its real."
"If you…die in a match would you die…for real?"
Link sighed, "Well, I suppose you would," seeing a shadow pass across Ranma's face he quickly amended, "but there are literally hundreds of safety features in place to prevent that from happening. These tournaments have been going on for five years now and the worst thing that's ever happened to someone was coming out of the transporter unconscious."
"Who did that happen to?"
"You remember that seven stock match Mewtwo had that put him in bed for a day and a half afterwards?" Ranma nodded, "Well his opponent Marth didn't get off so lucky."
"Marth? You mean that guy you lost to?"
"That's the one. Marth had been here since the arena's opening along with Mewtwo. He's quite possibly one of the best swordsmen in the world. He was the top fighter here for nearly three years, but then Mewtwo decided to participate in the annual three stock tournament. It was surprising because even though he was the first one at the arena, he'd never competed."
"So what happened?"
"Well, Mewtwo and Marth fought their way through every other competitor and met in the final match. And when they fought on final destination, Mewtwo skunked him."
"Skunked?"
"He beat him without losing a single life. As you can probably guess it was a bit humiliating for him. As soon as he had rested enough he re-challenged Mewtwo to a championship match at seven lives."
Link swiped his card and opened the door to their room. Ranma was so engrossed in their conversation he hadn't even realized where they were. Still talking, Link started to un-equip all of his weapons, placing them carefully in a small closet at the foot of his bed.
"In the end, Marth lost, albeit narrowly. Even though Mewtwo hardly acknowledges it, Marth still holds a grudge against him and considers him his rival."
And that doesn't remind me of someone I know, thought Ranma sarcastically, "So how many weapons do you carry with you anyways?" he asked changing the subject.
"I carry five into the arena," explained Link stepping away from his closet to reveal his bow, boomerang, sword, the strange grapple mechanism, and a brown bag with a picture of a bomb on it, "but in my adventures I've managed to get quite a collection."
Opening the other side of the closet Ranma was fascinated by the sheer variety of tools he saw there. True, he had seen Mousse carry just as much weaponry as Link but his weapons held little variety comparatively.
Before Link shut the closet Ranma saw a slingshot, a gigantic two-handed sword, a harp, a small brass tube that looked like a gun, a blue colored boomerang, several differently colored flutes, a couple masks, and a gigantic metal hammer.
"I'll bet there's an interesting story behind those things. You'll have to tell me about it sometime."
Link laughed, "Maybe someday, like when we're both retired and have a year or two of downtime on our hands."
Ranma laughed along with Link, "I'll be sure to take you up on that, provided we make it to retirement with our problems following us."
Link finally hung his shield and closed the closet door. With his green hat still on, he flopped down onto the bed, "You know Ranma, with you backing us up, I really think we can going to win this tournament."
"Naturally," said Ranma confidently.
"I wonder if you'll still be that cocky after you fight Mewtwo tomorrow." Said Link jokingly.
"Please, I define cocky," returned Ranma humorously.
"True," remarked Link thoughtfully, "If only your fighting skills were as big as your ego then we'd have this tournament in the bag no problem."
"If that was the case then I'd only need half my ego to win." Retorted Ranma
Many people can look back on their lives and remember a time when they sat down and had a good conversation with a friend. Ranma was not one of those many people and found himself liking the new feeling. As he slowly let sleep come to him, Ranma convinced himself that it was well worth giving up a wish for Link's friendship. It was probably better than anything the wish could have brought him anyways.
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A/N: Another complete revamp. This story is going to follow the same path as the original but I'm trying to flesh it out a bit to set myself up for when I go beyond the Smash Arena. That isn't going to happen for awhile though.
I will try to respond to all of my reviews. They're the only thing I'm receiving for writing this and I like to acknowledge them.
And now for something completely different.
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-Omake-
Ranma stumbled out of the scanner, wincing as he felt the bruise on his shoulder, "I thought you said it wasn't real."
Link reached into his tunic, pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on, "Your mind makes it real."
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-Omake- (By Samboke)
"So how many weapons do you carry with you anyways?" Ranma asked changing the subject.
"I carry five into the arena," explained Link stepping away from his closet to reveal his bow, boomerang, sword, the strange grapple mechanism, and a brown bag with a picture of a bomb on it, "but in my adventures I've managed to get quite a collection."
Ranma reaches into the chest and pulls out a small book with Zelda in a bikini on the cover. "What's this?"
Link snatches it away with a red face. "Nothing!"
